Toaster Oven Testimonies
What does God really want from you?
I understood this question better after a crisis in our home.
One day without warning, our toaster oven broke.
It was just before our wedding anniversary, May 29th, and in our entire married life, we had never bought a toaster oven.
We received one as a wedding gift. It lasted about 15 years.
When it died, Leanne’s brother and sister-in-law got a new toaster oven and gave us their old one—an identical match to our original. It must have been a wedding gift.
Bereft
For nearly a quarter of a century, we essentially had the same toaster oven. Then suddenly, we were bereft.
Setting aside our grief, the following Monday night about 8:30 we went to Target on a quest.
Standing in the appliance aisle, we ran into someone we knew and sheepishly explained why we were there.
I deadpanned, “Actually, this is our date night. I really know how to show a girl a good time.”
We laughed, but as Leanne and I reached the checkout counter, we realized it was kind of true.
I had been at an out-of-state conference for two weeks and got back late on a Friday night. The next day we celebrated our daughter’s graduation.
All kinds of friends and family came in that weekend, so Monday night was really the first time we had been together, just the two of us, for over two weeks.
With You
As we stood in line, my sweet wife turned to me and said, “Honey, it’s OK if this is a date night. I don’t really care what we do. I just want to be with you.”
That’s when I knew we still loved each other, because that’s what I wanted, too.
Above all else, God just wants to be with you. It’s what God wants more than anything.
At great cost, God sent his Son, Jesus into the world as Emmanuel, meaning, God is with us.
Greatest Gift
That’s why the greatest gift you can give God is you.
Your time.
Your presence.
Your attention.
Even when you are buying a toaster oven.
In the blur of everyday life, it’s easy to push God to the side, to get distracted, and lose any conscious contact with the Lover of our soul.
Relationship
But the heart of God is to enjoy a deep, personal, abiding relationship with each of us.
That’s why every moment we spend in his Presence is a gift God treasures.
Speaking Schedule
Roger will be preaching at Christ Church in Fairview Heights, Illinois, on June 1st and June 8th at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 AM.
I’d love to see you there! (Christ Church, 339 Frank Scott Parkway E., Fairview Heights, IL)
Announcing a Title & a Date!
My newest book finally has a name: Kinda Christian: From Curious to Serious About Jesus.
It’s all about helping people on the edge of faith come closer to the center of God’s love for us.
It is set to release August 19, 2025.
More to come in the weeks ahead. :)